TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2016

RIVERS – Washington’s U.S. senators have proposed a bill that would prevent mining on about 340,000 acres of public land in the Methow Valley to protect water quality and salmon habitat. The legislation introduced Wednesday would withdraw U.S. Forest Service land in northcentral Washington from...

TUESDAY, JAN. 19, 2016

WINTERSPORTS -- The Methow Valley rolled out the white carpet for the 80 some riders attending third annual Northwest Fatbike Winter Meetup in Withrop last weekend. "We about doubled the attendance from last year," said Dave Nelson, a fat-tired biking enthusiast from Spokane. He said...

THURSDAY, DEC. 17, 2015

WINTERSPORTS -- Fat bikes rule at Pearrygin Lake State Park, Washington's newest Sno-Park destination for non-motorized winter recreation. For two years, Methow Valley winter biking enthusiasts have been grooming single-track trails in and near the park that are ideal for snowshoeing or riding the balloon-tired...

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

OUTDOOR TRAVEL -- A low snowpack in the Cascades Mountains could mean an early opening for the North Cascades Highway this year. The Department of Transportation says it will begin clearing snow from State Route 20 this week and hopes to reopen the highway in...

TUESDAY, FEB. 17, 2015

WINTERSPORTS -- Starting today, Methow Trails based in Winthrop is offering season pass holders at other downhill or nordic skiing resorts a free day of cross-country skiing or snow biking to ease the pain of a grim year on the slopes. The Methow Valley ski...

TUESDAY, JAN. 20, 2015

Friday, January 23 - Sunday, January 25, is the annual Methow Valley Nordic Festival in Winthrop, Washington: a three-day weekend dedicated to celebrating Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, fat biking and winter trail running. The ski and snow conditions have been incredible this year in the Methow...

MONDAY, DEC. 29, 2014

WINTERSPORTS -- The Mount Spokane cross-country ski trails were a happy place to be on Saturday, as snow dumped onto the sprawling 60K trail system -- finally -- and The Spokesman-Review's beloved columnist Paul Turner turned out for his first cross-country skiing lesson. Lisa Sunderman,...

SUNDAY, DEC. 21, 2014

WINTERSPORTS -- The foot of snow that accumulated on Methow Valley cross-country ski and fat biking trails last night isn't the most impressive number from Washington's Nordic Nirvana. Get a load of the season's accumulated miles of grooming in today's Methow Trails report: The first...

MONDAY, DEC. 1, 2014

WINTERSPORTS -- The Methow Valley has good news for cross-country skiers champing at the bit to get onto groomed trails. While Mount Spokane nordic trails area still begging for a base, Methow Trails had enough early season snowfall to open trails for skiing, snowshoeing and...

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 26, 2014

OUTDOOR TRAVEL --The North Cascades Highway is closed for the winter after an avalanche assessment on Tuesday determined transportation workers could not safely reopen it. The 37-mile stretch of Highway 20 between Mazama and Newhalem closes every winter due to avalanche danger. The highway temporarily...

TUESDAY, OCT. 14, 2014

HUNTING -- Looking at some of the nice bucks taken on the Oct. 11-12 opening weekend of the Washington modern rifle deer hunting season can prompt sportsman to rethink their grousing about the lack of perfect conditions. Sure it was dry and warm. Success rates...

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 27, 2014

WILDLIFE -- At least one farmer already is experiencing deer damaging an alfalfa field in otherwise charred landscape in the Methow Valley region, according to the latest report from the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department's wildlife program. The Carlton Complex fires burned and leaped across...

MONDAY, AUG. 11, 2014

TRAILS -- In the clear, blue skies just west of the smoke and fires that have menaced the Methow Valley is the stage for one of the most beautiful trail running events in the region -- and there' never been a more important time to...

FRIDAY, AUG. 8, 2014

Large areas of the Okanogan-Wenatchee Forest and routes into the North Cascades remain open to recreation despite the wildfires that have burned more than 250,000 acres in northcentral Washington since mid-July. Salmon fishing is luring anglers to the Columbia River in the scorched Pateros-Brewster area....

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2014

WINTER SPORTS -- The Methow Valley Sport Trails Association and community partners are sponsoring a free cross-country ski day on Friday, March 14 for people to explore the region's most expansive and varied system of groomed nordic trails. Trail passes will not be required on...

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 26, 2014

UPDATED: 3:15 p.m., Feb. 26 with info about increase in cougar permits. WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS -- An 11-year-old girl shot a cougar that was following her 14-year-old brother to their home at Twisp, in north central Washington, the state Fish and Wildlife Department said. You've got...

TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2012

POACHING -- A Western Washington man has pleaded guilty to 14 counts of luring bears with doughnuts, salmon and other bait so they could be killed for fun by himself and family from the porch of his Methow Valley recreation cabin. James Erickson, 52, of...

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

ENDANGERED SPECIES -- A trail-cam image of a pair of gray wolves in the Methow Valley is raising the possibility that the Lookout Pack may be regrouping -- and possibly reproducing. The wolves (above) were photographed in April by a motion-activated camera put out by...

THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012

SKY WATCHING -- The Northern lights put on a great show over Washington's Methow Valley last night, and the nordic ski trail operators where on the job to see the spectacle. "Our groomer Ed got this incredible shot last night," says the Methow Valley Sport...

FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012

Put away that garden seed catalog. Cross-country ski areas are enjoying the season’s best snow conditions. Mount Spokane: New snow has accumulated every day this week with temperatures largely in the teens and 20s. XCers in most of the world would die for these conditions....

TUESDAY, JAN. 24, 2012

WILDLIFE WATCHING -- The diminutive pygmy owl stands less than 7 inches tall, and it's easy to miss. Birder Teri Pieper of Twisp used her eagle eyes to spot this little guy as she skinny-skied behind friends who had swooshed past the owl in the...

MONDAY, JAN. 2, 2012

NORDIC SKIING -- Time to brag: My visits to trout streams have ended weeks of good fishing; showing up at a campsites brought in hail storms. But my Friday effort to ski with family 6 miles into the wood-heated Rendezvous Hut for a three-day overnight...

MONDAY, NOV. 14, 2011

WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS -- A woman scouting for deer during Washington's early deer hunt details her tense encounter with two wolves that apparently were defending their deer kill near Lake Chelan in this blog post by Andy Walgamott of Northwest Sportsman. No shots fired. I admire...

TUESDAY, NOV. 1, 2011

OUTDOOR GEAR – The annual Sports Swap organized by the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association is set for Saturday at the Red Barn in Winthrop. Here's a tip: Some great gear from bicycles to nordic skis and all the accessories changes hand at cheap prices...